Many tools have been proposed which provide for adjustable wrenches. One such tool is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,221 issued May 30, 1995 to James Cole. This patent discloses a wrench which has a splined pin fixed to the head of the wrench with the handle being moveable between an upper released position and a lower locked position. This wrench has the disadvantage that the pin protrudes for a substantial distance above the wrench in all instances. This patent is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,184 issued Jul. 7, 1998 to James Cole discloses a similar wrench. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,820,288, 6,000,299 and 6,161,982 also relate to tools which use splined connections in various ways. These patents are further incorporated in their entirety by reference.
Other variations have been proposed which require a smooth pin positioned on the wrench head with the pin being used to engage an opening in the handle which includes flat surfaces moveable into engagement at various positions to lock the wrench and the handle into fixed positions. These wrenches also require that the pin protrude a substantial distance above the top of the wrench.
All of these wrenches are subject to certain shortcomings. Many of the wrenches previously developed to have releasable coupling involve the use of springs so that the wrench may be released only while the pin is held in a particular position from which it returns when released. This results in certain disadvantages, particularly with respect to the protrusion of elements from the sides or tops of the wrenches or the tools. Accordingly, a continued effort has been directed to the development of simpler, more rugged and less protrusive coupling systems for tools.
In particular, all of these wrenches permit the rotation of a tool head, referred to herein primarily as a wrench head, through up to 360 degrees relative to a wrench handle. While this offers many advantages with respect to accessing difficultly reachable bolts and the like, it is found that in some instances bolts are located in areas which cannot be reached, even by the adjustment of the orientation of the wrench head to the handle. Similar considerations apply to pry bars and other tools.
In some instances areas are desirably accessed which are simply beyond the reach of tools which have a rotatable head relative to the handle.
Accordingly, a continuing effort has been directed to the development of tools which can be tailored to a desired configuration to reach difficultly accessible areas for contacting such areas with a tool as required.